NELSON COUNTY, Va. — Nelson County Sheriff's deputies responded to an unusual call that none of them will forget —- reports of a kangaroo hopping near Route 29 and Oak Ridge Road in rural Nelson County.
"Never in my wildest imagination I thought in Nelson County I'd be wrangling a kangaroo," Conservation Police Officer Andrew Sundra with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources said about the Saturday morning call.
When deputies arrived, they quickly realized this was not a joke. The injured kangaroo, which had escaped from a wildlife refuge in Arrington about eight mile away, was leaving a blood trail in the frigid winter weather.
"The temperatures were frigid with the elements outside from this winter storm," Nelson County Sheriff Mark Embrey told WSET.
Lt. Steve Bodeck said their mission "immediately switched to how we're going to catch this thing."
The capture wasn't easy as Deputy Robert Richardson said the kangaroo's speed made it challenging.
"I don't even know if a lasso would have worked on it... You get out the car and she's already across the field," Richardson said.
Lt. Bodeck managed to corner the animal.
"Kind of shooed the kangaroo into a corner. It could easily jump over a 4-foot fence, but it did not. It just sat there and looked at me," Bodeck said.
When asked about the kangaroo's size, Sundra said, "It was probably up to my belly button, so probably about 3 feet around that."
Sundra said the owner tranquilized the mother kangaroo, and then they transported it home.
Officials believe dogs may have gotten into the animal's enclosure at the wildlife refuge. The mother kangaroo dropped its baby and ran, leading the dogs away to protect her offspring.
Deputies searched and found the baby kangaroo safe.
Both animals were transported back to a wildlife refuge and are reportedly doing well.
The kangaroo is slated to make a special appearance at the sheriff's office's first-ever Chili Cookoff & Touch-A-Truck Event on Saturday, March 14 at the Lovingston Fire Department. The event will benefit Special Olympics Virginia.
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